Tekever unveils new AR5 unmanned air system

UAS can be used for border protection and traffic control in any country

Tekever has officially launched its new AR5 unmanned air system for marine surveillance.

Tekever CEO Ricardo Mendes said the AR5 builds on the company’s 10 years of building smaller unmanned systems and can remain in the air for to 13-14 hours, even with a fill payload of sensors.

The AR5 has a wingspan of 730 cm, is four metres long, has a maximum take-off weight of 180 kg and can cruise at 100km/h.

Live feed for Farnborough visitors

The new platform is providing a daily live video feed for Farnborough visitors from 2-3pm during its flights over the Atlantic Ocean near Tekever’s home in Portugal.

The company recently announced that the AR5 had been chosen by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) to create the first European maritime surveillance and environmental monitoring system based on drones.

The two-year framework contracts signed with EMSA are worth up to 77 Million Euros and are part of a wider programme designed to provide UAS-based maritime services in support of EU Coastguard and environmental protection activities.

Its multi-mission support includes border protection, fire surveillance, infrastructure monitoring, even anti-piracy and traffic control missions.

UAS delivers 2Mbps streaming video

Tekever says the AR5 can be deployed from short unpaved runways for take-off and landing, which can also handle automatically.

“It can carry a Ka or Ku-band satcom system that can deliver up to 2Mbps streaming video to the ground,” Mendes said. “This makes it the smallest UAS that can deliver this capability.

“The AR5 can carry a wide range of payloads, including both maritime radar and synthetic aperture radar, and has significant on-board processing capability to provide data analysis, assisting operators and ensuring that important information is not missed.

“It is both easily transportable and affordable. We wanted to created a UAS that could be used by any country. Most importantly it is available now,” Mendes concluded.